Twine-holder.



No. 817,240. PATENTED APR. l0, 1906. E. W. GRAY.

TWINE HOLDER.

APPLIUATION FILED mm1@ 1905.

M75/5566555 n n elevated support by screws 11.

NTE STATES PATENT FFTCE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 10, 1906.

T0 all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, EnNEsT W. GRAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Des Moines, in the county of Polk and State of Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful Twine- Holder, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a twine-holder of simple, durable, and inexpensive construction provided with an automatic take-up, which twine-holder may be readily, quickly, and easily adapted for use suspended from an elevated support or rest ing upon a base, such as a counter, the takeup working equally well with the device in either position.

My invention consists in certain details in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts ofthe device whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1. shows a side elevation of the twine-holder resting upon a base, parts being broken away to show certain details of construction. Fig. 2 shows a horizontal sectional view on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 shows a side view of the device secured to an elevated support and having parts broken away to show certain details of construction.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, l have used the reference-numeral 10 to indicate the base of the twine-holder. This base may be placed on a suitable support, such as a counter or table, or it may be secured to an vided with an angular extension 1.2.

The numeral 13 indicates a tube angular in cross-section and designed to receive theangular extension 12, to which it is detachably held by the set-screw 14. The end of the tube 13 opposite from the end in which the set-screw 14 is seated is formed with slots 15 to receive a twine, Yas hereinafter set forth. Slidingly mounted within the tube 13 is a weight 16, having an eye 17 at its top de signed to receive twine.

The twine-cup is composed of a base 18, having a number of lugs 19 at its periphery extended upwardly and then inwardly;

Formed on the under surface of the base 18 is an angular sleeve 20 to receive the upper end of the tube 13, which is detachably secured thereto by the set-screw 21. When the tube 13 is in position on the angular It is proy by the set-screw 29.

sleeve 20, the lower ends of the slots 15 are exposed below the said sleeve to permit twine to pass through them, the said sleeve preventing the twine from passing out at the tops of the slots 15. The body portion of the twine-cup is preferably cone-shaped and is indicated by the numeral 22. On its lower end are a number of outwardly-projecting lugs 23, spaced apart far enough to admit the lugs 19 between them and so shaped that when the part 22 is turned to a certain p osition the lugs 23 will be engaged by the lugs 19 and the part 22 firmly held to the base 1S. At the top of the part 22 is an angular extension 24 of substantially the same size as the tube 13. A slot 25 is also formed in the top of the part 22 to admit a twine. The numeral 26 indicates a cap designed to be fitted to the extension 24, to which it may be secured by the set-screw 27.

ln practical use and assuming the twineholder is designed for use resting on a base the parts are assembled as shown in Fig. 1, and a ball or cone of twine is placed in the twine-cup, with one end of the twine passed through the slot 25, then downwardly, then through one of the slots 15 of the tube 13, then through the eye 17 of the weight 16, and finally through the other slot. When an operator pulls upon the end of the twine, the weight 16 will be elevated to a position with its eye 17 in line with the slots 15, and a continued pull upon the twine will cause the twine to be unwrapped from the ball or cone and moved through the eye of the weight and slots. As soon as the twine is released the weight 16 will drop to the lower end of the tube 13, and thus withdraw the free end portion of the twine toward the twineholder. The distance which said free end portion will be withdrawn will of course depend upon the length of the tube 13.

Assuming that it is desired to use the twine holder fixed to an elevated support, it is obvious that the weight 16 must move in the tube 13 in the same direction. Hence the base 10 is detached from the lower end of the tube 13, and the cap 26 is detached from the top of the twine-cup. This cap 26 is then secured to the lower end of the tube 13 by its set-screw 27 to limit the movement of the weight 16. The base 10 is then secured to an elevated support, and a short tube 28 is provided, which tube is secured to the extension 12 of the base 10, where it is held in place The extension 24 at the IOO IIO

top of the twine-cup is then detachably connected with the tube 28 by means of the setscrew 30, and the device is ready for use in the same manner as when it was attached to a counter or table. At the lower end of this tube 28, as shown in Fig. 3, an eXtra tubesection 28a is permanently connected for convenience infitting it to the extension 24.

When the device is used in any of the manners shown and described and assuming that it is desired to place a ball or cone of twine in the twine-holder, then the twine-cup is separated from the base, and the cap 26 or' tube 28, as the case may be, is detached from the top of the cup, and the base of the cup is also detached from the tube 13. Then the twine is placed in the cup, the cup and base secured together, the end ofthe twine passed first upwardly through the top of the cup and then through the slot 25; then the tube 13 is inverted, so that the weight 16 will project from it far enough to permit the operator to thread the twine through the `eye 17 thereof then the twine adjacent to the part in the eye 17 is made to enter the tops of the slots 15, and then the tube 13 is connected to the sleeve 20 of the base 18 by the set-screw 21 and the device is ready for use.

All ofthe parts are simple and inexpensive in construction, and the device may be readily transformed to be utilized for the different purposes described, and twine may be placed in the twine-cup or threaded through the eye of the weight quickly and easily.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States therefor, is-

1. The combination of a tube formed with twine-openings at opposite sides of its upper end, a weight formed with an eye slidingly and non-rotatably mounted in the tube, a base detachably securedl to one end of the tube and shaped to be capable of detachable connection with the other end of the tube and a cap detachably secured to one end of the tube and shaped to be capable of detachable connection with the other end of the tube.

2. The combination of a tube, a weight formed with an eye slidingly and non-rotatably mounted in the tube, said tube formed with slots at its upper end and a twine-cup detachably secured to the upper end of the tube and when in position closing the upper ends of said slots.

3. The combination of a tube formed with a slot at its upper end, a weight slidingly and non -rotatably mounted in the tube and formed with an eye and a sleeve designed to overlap the top of the tube and cover the upper end portions of said slot.

4. The combination of a tube formed with slots at its upper end, a weight slidingly and non rotatably mounted in the tube and formed with an eye, a twine-cup having a sleeve on its under surface designed to overlap the top of the tube and cover the upper end portions of said slots, said twine cup formed with an open top and a slot at one side of its top and a cap detachably mounted on the top of the cup covering the upper end of said slot.

5. The combination of a tube formed with slots at its upper end, a twine-cup detachably secured to said upper end and when in position overlapping the upper portions of said slots, a weight formed with an eye slidingly and non-rotatably mounted in the tube, a base, means for securing the base to the bottom of the tube and means for securing the base to the top of the twine-cup.

6. The combination of a tube angular in cross-section, its top slotted on two sides, an angular weight formed with an eye and slidingly mounted in the tube, a base, means for detachably securing the base to the bottom ofthe tube, a twine-cup comprising a base formed with an angular sleeve to overlap the top of the angular tube and a cup detachably secured to the base and formed with an angular extension at its top and with a slot at one side of its top, a cap designed for detachable connection to the top of the cup or to the bottom of the tube and means for detachably securing the base to the bottom of the tube and means for securing the base to the top of the cup.

ERNEST W. GRAY.

Witnesses:

SIDNEY F. CHRISTY, JULIA B. SMUTNEY. 

